India is all set to take on Afghanistan in a match which will have a lot riding on it. The men in blue would look to redeem themselves after two disappointing losses against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan, on the other hand, would want to cement their reputation as one of the most dangerous sides going around in world cricket.
Ahead of India's clash against AFG, let's look at some changes India can make to its team combination.
Dinesh Karthik returns in place of Deepak Hooda
Deepak Hooda in action.
Deepak Hooda has been playing the role of a finisher for the past two games. The only logic that makes him an ideal candidate ahead of Karthik at the finisher's spot is his bowling ability. Rohit Sharma though doesn't seem keen on using him much despite the top 5 bowlers going for plenty of runs.
If Deepak Hooda isn't going to bowl, then it is only fair for Karthik to come back as he has been pretty successful at the job.
Deepak Chahar replaces Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Deepak Chahar in action vs SA.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a veteran. But it is also a fact that his last 2 penultimate overs vs Pakistan and Sri Lanka have turned the game in favour of the opposition.
In the game vs Pakistan, Kumar gave away 19 runs, while he leaked as many as 14 runs vs Sri Lanka, inevitably turning the game away. Arshdeep, on the other hand, had just seven runs to defend in both the innings and did as well as he could, and took both the games to the second-last balls.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2022: India look to redeem themselves against dangerous Afghanistan
Dinesh Karthik can also replace Rishabh Pant in the playing 11 since the left-hander hasn't really made an impact in any of the two innings he played. This will also ensure the team of a few overs from Deepak Hooda, in case Rohit chooses to use him.
Team India Squad
KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Chahar
